1880
Maker: Jean-Charles Adolphe Alphand
Antique 19th century facsimile of a rare map of Paris from a c. 1818 copy of a 16th century tapestry printed by Charles Chardon. This map was published in Histoire Generale de Paris, Atlas des Anciens Plans de Paris, 1880. This atlas was produced as a folio with the maps each folded within the cover and published under the direction of Jean-Charles Adolphe Alphand (1817-1891), a French civil engineer who is known for his work to beautify Paris. He is considered the father of green spaces in Paris. The story of this map is truly fascinating- apparently the original tapestry has been lost after it was used as a rug in the Hotel de Ville (the seat of government) but before that, a sketch was produced and prints of the sketch were made. Thus the original was lost and all that we have are copies, and copies of copies. This shows the island of Notre-Dame (St Louis) before the two islands were filled and joined. This map is printed on two large sheets that have been backed on cloth to join. Fair to good antique condition with some foxing and light stains that do not detract from the enjoyment of the map but rather improve its antique appearance. Measures approx. 31 x 36.5 inches to the neatline.
Item Number: EUR3093